


Stitch Up The Emptiness

by lucidhalos



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Assistant Darcy Lewis, Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Darcy Feels, F/M, Loki Feels, Loki Has Issues, Loki Needs a Hug, Odin's A+ Parenting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Slow Burn, Warning: Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-15 21:45:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5801395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucidhalos/pseuds/lucidhalos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The God of Mischief was supposed to be dead. It was the only way he can ever atone for his sins—and yet he still lives. It wouldn’t matter much if it weren’t for the fact that he was now her problem too.</p><p>Darcy Lewis swears someone out there is trying to make her life a living hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Set after the events of **Thor: The Dark World**.  Partially AU._  
> This is not beta’d. Any mistakes are my own.

* * *

It had been a relatively normal evening for Darcy Lewis and Jane Foster, who had called it an early night once more. The last few days had been such, ever since the Dark Elves had hit Greenwich and left destruction in their wake—but England was recovering. Unfortunately, Jane was not.

That did not mean that the scientist was not trying to say otherwise, but she was not very good at masking her emotions. She had been restless and her uncertainty was clearly etched on her face. Thor had promised to return, but as the days turned to weeks that promise was beginning to look like another lie. This would not have been the first time either, and that was what really troubled Jane the most.

Darcy knew the older woman was distressed, but she knew over time things would get better as they had before. In a day or two, she’d encourage her to go on another date with whatever-his-face was—she was certain the astrophysicist would appreciate the distraction. Darcy had interrupted their initial date, but the two seemed to like each other enough and it would be good for Jane to start moving on.

However, her luck with men was almost as bad. At least when it came to grabbing the attention of someone she wished to pursue. She had caught the attention of her intern, which unfortunately she was regretting. Ian was sweet, but not really her type. She didn’t want to break his heart so soon after all this, so she told him to take a vacation. Her reasoning was that everyone needed a break after the disaster with the elves, which was partially true. However, the Intern was not too keen on leaving so soon after the development of his feelings for her, but she insisted and told him that Jane needed her right now. With great reluctance, he left to visit his family in Manchester—and now, he would be back in about a week and she was going to have to let him down before he got lost completely in translation.

Why did men suddenly think a kiss meant I wanted to date you? It had been the heat of the moment and she didn’t know if she would live the next moment or be killed on the spot. Not to mention that he was somewhat cute and it had been a bit of a while since she’d been with anyone. She just couldn’t help herself.

Darcy groaned and ran a hand through her hair. She was definitely going to let him go before her ovaries begged her to do something else with him. It was all for the best. Right now, her main focus was helping Jane. And that was the plan she was going to stick to.

She straightened up and cracked her knuckles as she stared down at her laptop screen. She’d been sitting in her bed for the last two hours researching and reading anything she could find related to Norse mythology. The goal was to try and find a way to summon the God of Thunder, but so far there had been nothing of the like found. Her hope for a solution was quickly dispersing, but her desperation to help Jane fueled her ongoing search. Darcy just couldn’t sit back and watch her friend continue to be miserable—she had already witnessed it once before and there was no way she was going to let things play out the same way again.

However, the only thing to come out of her futile search was just lore after lore. There was no summoning spell or tool or anything of the like to call upon the otherworldly boyfriend of Jane. She was stuck at square one with no solution in sight. 

Darcy didn’t know what to do anymore, but she didn’t have time to dwell on those unfortunate thoughts. The flat was suddenly struck by a blinding flash of light, which was shortly followed by an echoing boom that caused the entire place to tremble and quake from the anomaly. Darcy shrieked in reaction as she grabbed her pillow and covered her head. It was a vain attempt to shield herself from any falling debris; but as sudden as the shaking had begun, it suddenly stopped leaving Darcy blinking with confusion until she heard Jane cry out with excitement.

_The hell?_

The woman’s distinctive footsteps could be heard as she bolted out of her bedroom. It took only a moment before it dawned on Darcy what usually followed the sound of thunder. The brunette quickly followed chase, tossing the pillow absentmindedly behind her.

It had to be him.

And to think she had begun to doubt him, but given his track record who could really blame her?

Darcy had been quick to clamber up the metal stairwell after Jane, who had dashed up to the rooftop with unbridled anticipation. However, the intern had come to a stop when she realized that her enthusiastic friend stood in the doorway stock-still. Shouldn’t Jane be running into Thor’s arms right about now and snogging the crap out of him? The young girl cautiously peered beyond the petite woman’s shoulder to see what was the matter.

Thor had been expectant and a relief to see, but the gangly looking man he had draped around him was not. To make matters worse, she recognized the stranger that had haunted numerous media outlets. Even without the daunting horned helmet, one could tell it was Loki. She paled. Why the hell was he here? She had been told he had died, and yet here he was on the rooftop of Mrs. Foster’s flat. 

However, he looked like death incarnate.

His body was completely battered, covered in dried blood and dust. His complexion was completely ashen and his obsidian hair fell limply across his gaunt face like a tattered curtain. _This_ was the psycho that had killed hundreds of people?

“Why?” Jane managed to choke out in shock. Their reunion ruined by the homicidal god hanging off the hero’s shoulder. She took a step forward, “Why is _he_ here?” 

“I could not leave him,” Thor muttered solemnly as he glanced at his bruised and unconscious brother. “Please, Jane.”

“You really know how to sweep a lady off her feet. Most boyfriends bring flowers, not a homicidal maniac,” Darcy interjected, not at all pleased that Thor had returned with the destroyer of Puente Antiguo and the enemy of New York.

The commentary seemed to have jogged something within Jane. The astrophysicist’s eyes narrowed as she took another step toward the Asgardians, “I saw him die— _we_ saw him die. How is he still alive?”

“I will explain everything shortly. Just please, he needs assistance. Father has not been kind to him,” Thor stepped towards the doorway, causing both women to step away from his path. They did nothing to stop him and watched him slowly descend inside, dragging his brother along with him.

Darcy noticed a few droplets of blood that had stained the concrete ground and stared aghast at the doorway, “What kind of fucked up family—“

“ _Darcy_ ,” Jane interjected, stopping her friend from going off. Darcy bit her tongue. It served him right for all the damage and destruction he had done, but she could not process how a father could do such a thing to his own son.

Jane ran a hand through her hair as she rushed back inside, leaving Darcy momentarily alone. The young intern watched Jane descend back inside before she glanced up at the cloudy sky behind her. It was late and cold. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to shield herself from the frigid air. This evening felt colder than it had any other night before. She didn’t know if she should take this as some kind of omen, but she did not have time to reminiscence over that before she slipped back inside the flat.

Thor had not wasted any time in dumping an unconscious Loki down onto their couch. The blonde god wearily glanced over his brother, before he looked onto his girlfriend, “A word in private, please.” 

Jane glanced at Darcy before the younger girl waved for her to go ahead. The two disappeared down the hall into the scientist’s room without another word. The intern figured they would want to talk in private, but she did not like that she had been left alone with an unconscious murderer.

Her taser would have been a comforting item to have right now, but the thing had disappeared somewhere in the Convergence and she had yet to buy a replacement. So instead, Darcy stood awkwardly in front of the former dead god and chewed on her bottom lip. He looked a lot worse than she had initially thought and was thankful that he was unconscious. Even as injured as he was, it did not mean he was any less of a threat. He was still a bad guy. Thor was insane to bring someone like him into their home. She didn’t care if he was his brother—what the hell was he thinking?

Granted, the God of Mischief looked like he was lying on death’s doorsteps. The only sign that indicated that he was still with the living was the slight rise and fall of his chest. Loki would have looked peaceful if it was not for the ugly bruising around his throat and a dreadfully torn up bottom lip. It looked like he had bitten down on it one too many times. She winced and instinctively touched her own with her fingers. 

It also probably didn’t help that his Asgardian armor he had worn during his rampage in New York was missing. Instead, he wore a torn tunic and blood crusted leather pants. Both were faded and covered with soot. He looked almost human in this bare and broken state.

She almost felt sorry for him. _Almost_.

But Darcy knew that regardless of his current state the man was still completely dangerous—he had taken too many lives and so much destruction had come forth from his hands. A part of her wished he had stayed dead. It would be the only way he could really ever atone for all the evil he had unleashed. 

“Darcy,” Jane spoke softly, placing a hand tentatively on her shoulder and briefly startling the intern who had not heard the scientist approach. The look her friend was giving her already spoke volumes that she would not like what she was about to hear. She braced herself.

“They’re going to be staying with us…for some time.”

“Absolutely not,” Darcy made a gesture at the comatose Asgardian, “are you forgetting who he is? What he’s done? I’m okay with Thor, but he’s an absolute nope.” 

“I know my brother is not forgiven, but I beg thee to listen,” Thor urged. The thunder god looked worn, tired, and desperate—which just tugged her heartstrings with sympathy. She pursed her lips, trying not to let his distressed state bother her.

“All-Father will end up killing him if he is to return. Loki has done much evil, but the punishment he is being inflicted upon is too cruel,” he grasped Darcy’s hand, “I know you are not pleased, but he is much different now. He saved both Jane and I.”

Darcy glanced over at Jane, who stared at her gravely. A few moments ago, Jane had been just as vehement about Loki being here. It was evident that Jane had heard things in much more detail, considering she was aware of how much the younger brother both angered and scared the scientist. She suddenly felt like she had fallen into the twilight zone. 

“He’s only going to be here temporarily,” Jane reassured as she looked at her pleading boyfriend before turning back to Darcy, “I understand if you’re not happy about it and are welcomed to leave, but I would appreciate it if you would stay and help.”

Darcy pulled her hand away from Thor’s loose grasp. “Help?” she gestured at Loki, “Are you forgetting he can kill us at any given opportunity?”

“He will not harm you. He cannot,” Thor urged, taking a step toward his brother and laying his hand on the unconscious god’s forearm. His fingers brushed the golden braces around Loki’s wrists. They were covered in strange runes. “These prevent him from using any of his magic. Mother made them herself.”

Darcy stared at the intricately designed gold bracelets that supposedly suppressed the younger brother from doing anything wicked. It just looked like a really sturdy and expensive piece of jewelry. But, they definitely did look like something that came out of Asgard. 

While the cuffs were somewhat reassuring, Darcy was still not completely convinced. “That won’t stop him from strangling us.”

Jane seemed to pale a bit at the statement and her brown eyes momentarily flashed in worry. However, the petite woman stomped those emotions out, “Thor said he wouldn’t hurt us.”

“Right,” Darcy paused, “no offense, but did he not try to kill Thor? I don’t buy the changed Asgardian act. Just because he saved a life once doesn’t excuse the fact he’s killed innocent people and won’t do so again.”

“He is much different than the last time he was on Midgard. Rest assured, I will speak with him about everything once he awakens. He will be on his best behavior,“ Thor stated in defense as he straightened himself and stared at her confidently.

“I’m not convinced, but whatever, “ she grounded out annoyingly, before glancing at her boss, “I’m staying, but if he so much as looks at me funny I reserve all rights to punch him.”

Thor chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling in good humor, “Of course. Thank you.” 

“Yes, thank you,” Jane agreed giving Darcy a hug, “I promise this is just temporary.”

“It better be. I’m not exactly thrilled to be rooming with the guy who tried to enslave Earth,” she glanced at Loki, “what happened to him, anyway?”

Jane opened her mouth to respond, but Thor spoke first.

“All-Father has been inflicting penances for his crimes. Loki’s been chained to a stone in the garden enduring venom being dripped onto his flesh for a few weeks now. That punishment is just a start. He was planning on stitching up his lips shut next,” Thor stated unhappily, “Granted, Loki did try and deceived father once more, but mother would not want him to suffer like this.”

“Deceive?”

Thor hesitated, choosing to hang Mjölnir by the entrance as he chewed over his next words, “After Jane and I had left my presumed dead brother, he decided to return to Asgard and try to take down our father. Of course, he did not succeed.”

Darcy’s mouth flapped open and shut. “You said he was different! How is that any different from trying to take over Earth?”

The blonde hung his head a bit, “you are right to say it is not much different, however, he does not deserve a lifetime of punishment. He cannot atone for his sins if he cannot do anything to better himself. I believe he can change. Midgard helped me change for the better.”

He lifted his head slightly and threw a knowing smile at his girlfriend, before wrapping an arm around Jane and looking at Darcy once more, “I believe Midgard can help him change too. Cruelty has done nothing to improve his character.”

Darcy was stunned by how much of a gamble he was putting at stake. He was putting both Jane and herself at risk and all for the sake of helping his brother. Granted, she did not agree with the punishment being inflicted upon him either, but there was no way she can accept his presence here. There would be consequences for this, that much she knew. How could the character of someone so vile, be fixed? She could not understand how Thor could come to such a conclusion. Could he not understand that evil people cannot be changed?

Or maybe she was not seeing the complete picture? The thunder god had convinced Jane somehow that Loki wasn’t all that evil. Just maybe, there was more than she was being told but she could always find out later. Maybe when Loki is gone. They did tell her that he would only be here temporarily.

As much as she wanted to argue with him, she was tired. She ran a hand through her brown hair as she began moving back to her bedroom, “Fine. Maybe some _Midgardian_ therapy will somehow help him become less of an ass.”

It was either that, or she’ll end up screaming, “I told you so!” just before Loki murders them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to try something different. It sounds a bit out of character that Jane agreed to letting Loki stay, but I promise more information will be revealed later on as to why. I however, truly believe Thor would think such a thing when it comes to reforming Loki—it may not seem so due to their scene in Thor: The Dark World when Thor speaks to Loki in the dungeons, but I believe he saw the possibility when Loki saved them from the Dark Elves.
> 
> However, I believe Loki’s initial reasoning for helping Thor had been for his own personal agenda—but the plan for saving them just happened due to the fact that he did not want to lose the only other person who has ever cared for him. He had already lost his mother and while he would never admit it out loud, Thor is the only person he cares about since his relationship with Odin is far from ideal. The scene between the brothers on the skiff spoke volumes and I feel like Loki has a lot of regret in his heart but he does not know how to cope, but rather knows how to dig himself a deeper grave. Such is the case with him trying to take the throne. He is too fueled by his hate to see anything else clearly.
> 
> Thor is constantly being painted as some kind of idiot, when in reality I think he is a lot more perceptive than people give him credit for. Loki is his brother and while his brother has done heinous things, he has grown up at his side to know there is some good in him. The two share a trait of letting their emotions get the best of them, but I feel like Loki has not learned how to get past it like Thor had with his self-righteousness in Thor.
> 
> And yes, I have another fanfic in the process that I just posted, but this one I plan on updating a bit more frequently, since In the Company of Mischief requires a lot of research on my behalf. I need to go back and re-watch a lot and read a lot if I plan on taking it the direction I want it to go. This one will be shorter and a bit less serious. I also have ideas and plans for about 2-3 more thus far, but until I work out the kinks those will remain a mystery.
> 
> Anyway, enough of my blabbering—I’ll let you guys be the judge. Let me know what you think in the mean time. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, someone's awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Set after the events of **Thor: The Dark World**.  Partially AU._  
> This is not beta’d. Any mistakes are my own.

* * *

The next morning, Loki remained unconscious as the two women scuttled about the kitchen trying to get some kind of breakfast going. They were not used to company and had always settled with quick meals, but they had run down to the corner store earlier and gotten some real ingredients. It had been a while since they’ve enjoyed a proper and home-cooked meal.

Darcy did not know how everyone else had slept, but she had been restless the entirety of the evening. It was hard to feel safe sleeping when danger was laying just a couple of feet away from her bedroom.

Even with Thor present, it did not do much to soothe her nerves. The God of Thunder had slept on the other couch last night in order to keep an eye on Loki and to be present if he decided to wake up during the night. Jane had protested, but the Asgardian had been adamant that it was his civil duty as a brother. While she had been sad on Jane’s behalf, she was grateful that he had done that. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have managed any sleep at all.

She glanced over at the living room as she shoved some bread into the toaster oven. Thor was still sleeping quite soundly, even with the ruckus going on in the adjacent room. He had taken his chest plate and cape off sometime in the night, leaving the objects to lie haphazardly on the coffee table. In contrast, his boots stood pristinely upright at the foot of the couch.

Darcy snorted, wondering if she should have even gotten any sleep at all when clearly her savior was a heavy sleeper with all his defenses down. She gave a side-glance at Jane, who had begun to crack eggs into the frying pan in front of her. The scientist was beaming with glee and it had been weeks since she’d seen Jane this happy. It was a relief to see the dark cloud gone.

As soon as the eggs started sizzling and the aroma of food began to waft toward the living room, was when the Thunder God decided to stir. The first thing he did was glance over at Loki, before his directed his attention to Jane and Darcy.

“He has not woken up, I presume?” the blonde asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

“Nope,” Darcy answered, as she set some plates down at the kitchen table.

Thor frowned deeply, before rising and stepping toward the kitchen area. His eyes glanced briefly at the stovetop before he looked at Jane with a small smile. Darcy knew if she was not around, the two would more than likely be making out right now. She didn’t have time to feel awkward about it, as the ding of the toaster ruined the loving and weird moment.

The Norse god cleared his throat. “When he awakens, he will be quite aware of his pains. Are there any healers on Midgard?”

“We have a first aid kit in the bathroom. I don’t think it would be smart of us to bring him to a hospital, considering how you had reacted when you were in one,” Jane stated, turning off the burner.

“You almost knocked out the staff,” Darcy quipped as she plopped down at the table.

Jane cringed slightly at the memory. 

“I’m sure Loki would not react any better.”

Thor sheepishly ran a hand through his hair, “Perhaps the aid kit will suffice. I am not quite ready to let S.H.I.E.L.D. know of his return.”

Both women glanced at each other in surprise, before Darcy spoke up, “You do realize he’s on their shitlist, right? It would be completely stupid to tell them he’s here.”

“Perhaps,” Thor pondered over her words for a moment, “but I will be telling Stark about this as soon as I believe Loki is feeling better. As I said, we do not plan to overstay our welcome.” 

There is a sudden clatter of dishes.

“We? You said you won’t be leaving,” Jane interjected. Thor grasped her hand as he gazed at the petite woman, “Rest assured, I do not plan on leaving Midgard. I will be here by your side as soon as I have Loki settled down.”

Darcy rolled her eyes as she shuffled some scrambled eggs onto her plate.

“So, what are you exactly planning? I know you said you’re planning on helping your douche-brother reform his ways, but how exactly is Iron Man going to help? Loki tossed him out of a window.”

“Stark is one of the few I trust on Midgard. He is the only person I know other than S.H.I.E.L.D. to have the resources to help me with Loki,” Thor stated, squeezing Jane’s hand once more, “I also cannot bear any more separation, but I must make some temporary sacrifices.”

“Should have sacrificed him to the void,” Darcy mumbled to herself, as she chewed her breakfast with annoyance. She was angry for Jane. Her friend was finally out of her slump and her boyfriend wants to leave her once again. While she knew had his responsibilities, she didn’t like the reason behind them. 

She stole a glance at the unconscious prince—all she could see from this angle was a crown of black matted hair. All of this trouble was all because of him and his bad attitude. When the hell was he even waking up? How long can an Asgardian sleep for? What if he never woke up? 

“If you want, we can come along with you,” Jane stated, “It’ll give me an opportunity to share my findings with Stark. I’d love to hear his input on the Convergence.”

Darcy suddenly coughed, nearly choking on her food. There had been no warning or discussion of this all and it caught her off guard. It was one thing for her to agree to harbor an Asgardian fugitive at the moment, but to willingly follow Thor and him to New York was a bit too much. She didn’t know if Jane was having some kind of midlife crisis or something, but she was being stringed along it. And Darcy clearly had a lot to say about the matter. 

“Are you okay?” Jane asked as she turned her attention to her intern.

Darcy took a quick gulp of juice to clear the lump of food wedged in her throat, before speaking. “Can I—can I talk to you in private real quick?”

Thor looked between the two women before he released Jane’s hand. He had yet to say anything to his girlfriend’s comment, but he knew from Darcy’s reaction that the younger woman wished to discuss the matter. He cleared his throat.

“Please help yourself,” Jane added quickly, pushing plates of food closer to him, “we’ll only be one moment.”

Darcy dragged the petite woman into her room, shutting the door hastily behind her. “How is this temporary? You literally want us to run along with them! Talk to Stark, my ass.”

“Hey, that isn’t a complete lie!” Jane exclaimed as she held her hands up in defense. It wasn’t completely truthful either.

Her reaction to Thor’s news had been abrupt and without much thought, but she didn’t know how long the hero would be gone for again. However, it was true that she would like to discuss matters with Tony Stark but they weren’t entirely on the subject of the Convergence. The man was an inventor more than a scientist, but he may be able to figure out a way to adapt her data on the Convergence to help create her the Einstein-Rosen Bridge she had been so desperately working on for the last two years.

“I also thought you would like the change in scenery,” Jane stated, before lowering her arms and stiffening her posture, “And I know what is happening with you and Ian. I know you’re avoiding him.”

The young brunette’s mouth flapped open and shut, before mustering a strangled, “ _So_?”

“It’ll give you an opportunity to distance yourself from him. That is what you want right?” Jane asked, carefully sitting on Darcy’s desk as she crossed her arms. The older woman looked over her intern.

Darcy sighed and leaned her head back against her door, letting it thud against it. Jane had a point, but the circumstances for this possibility was certainly a problem—that problem being in the form of a villainous Asgardian prince. While Thor had reassured them that Loki had changed, Darcy knew that the God of Mischief had his own agenda for those decisions. That’s how the mind of anyone wanting to conquer worked, and as a political science student she knew better. Evil always had an evil agenda. 

Loki was playing on Thor’s good intentions. Darcy was positive about that and Jane was blindsided by her love for Thor to even think of anything bad happening and ruining everything. She pursed her lips.

However, the thought of heading back to the U.S. was appealing to her. She had initially thought England would have been a lot more exciting, but she soon found that it was just dreadfully foggy and cold a majority of the time here. It was a heavy contrast to the endless desert and heat of New Mexico. It would be a huge plus to go back to something more familiar. Plus, she would get a chance to actually see New York much better. Last time the two of them had been to the city, it had been to see Erik after the whole fiasco with the invasion. The whole place had been a complete disaster zone.

“I guess—“

The sound of crashing ceramic was enough to ruin their meeting. Incoherent shouting could be heard coming from the living room and both women quickly scrambled out to see what the ruckus was all about. It was safe to assume that Loki had finally woken up. But, they were not pleased with what they walked into.

The coffee table had flipped over and was now lying haphazardly along with all the contents that had been on top of it. In the kitchen, the table was a mess of spilled food—some of the dishes lay broken on the floor along with its contents. Both brothers froze with a fistful of each other’s shirts as soon as they realized they now had company.

Loki’s mouth had been twisted into a snarl, but his expression turned impassive when he realized he was no longer alone with his brother. Thor, who seemed surprisingly composed, took the moment to shove his younger brother back down onto the couch, “Calm down, brother. You are safe now.”

“I am not your brother,” Loki hissed sourly, breathing heavily with pent up rage and pain, but he made no motion to rise once more. Darcy didn’t know what to make of the situation. She assumed he woke up angry and confused, but hell, she probably would after the torture he had been put through.

Jane and Darcy stood awkwardly in the hallway before the older woman tiptoed carefully toward the kitchen to pick up the broken pieces of dinnerware. “I see someone’s finally awake.” 

Loki’s eyes finally snapped onto her before he looked back at Thor, “You bought me to your thrall’s home? Are you mad?”

“It is the safest for you now.” 

Loki laughed, a mixture of amusement and bitterness.

“I don’t understand what’s so funny,” Darcy stated, as she joined Jane. Loki stopped immediately, his head cocking curiously as he eyed her, “Another?”

“Lady Darcy is a good friend of mine and Jane,” he assured firmly. 

The God of Mischief chuckled softly, as he leaned back onto the couch, placing his right arm gingerly around his torso to cradle his bruised ribs, “Of course. Always turning to your _friends_.”

He bitterly said the word as he grimaced over his wounds. The All-Father had certainly done a number on him.

Thor ignored his commentary, as he carefully placed the coffee table upright again. “We will be staying here until you are better, so do behave yourself.”

Loki snorted but said nothing more. He had decided this situation was much better than the dire circumstances he had been placed into before. He lifted his other hand in front of him, as he examined the bracelet around his wrist. It was easy for him to recognize his mother’s magic. It had always been a comfort to him, but ironically now it was being used to constrict him of his own magical abilities.

He scowled. “Of course. I see you took the extra measure of keeping my magic restrained. Did not even consider to remove them, did you?"

“I cannot completely trust you.”

“Then why even save me?” he challenged, throwing a glance at the blonde god.

“Mother would not have wanted your punishment to be like this.”

 _No, she wouldn’t_ , he thought to himself as his expression hardened. His last words to her had been a cruel lie, but he could not go back and change what had been done. She would not have wanted him punished so, but he certainly had deserved it. He absentmindedly brushed his bruised throat with limber fingers. The guilty part of him wanted to return back to Asgard to repent for his sins, but the selfish side of him wanted to be free. He remained quiet as the rest of them shuffled about cleaning up the mess that had been made during their squabble.

“Darcy, can you get the first aid kit?” Jane inquired, as she dropped broken bits of ceramic into the trashcan. Darcy paused, dropping the sponge in her hand down onto the table.

“On it,” she said before she hurried down the hall. She was glad to step away from the awkward silence, even for a moment. It was turning out to be a bit different than she had imagined. She had imagined he would try to kill them all when he gained consciousness but it turned out he was too busy being angry and sulking.

 _Even though he had gotten oddly quiet at the mention of his mother_ , she thought to herself as she stepped into the bathroom. If Darcy remembered correctly, the queen had died while hiding Jane. She wondered if Loki and his mother had been close.

She shook her head. She didn’t want to sympathize with Loki of all people. He was a bad guy and that was how she would choose to paint him as. It may seem ignorant, but she did not want to empathize with someone like him.

Darcy padded back to the living room with the kit in hand, making sure to drop it down on the coffee table loud enough to make a resonating thud. Everyone looked at her.

“Really?” Jane asked, a little exasperated with all the tension flittering about. 

“What? You said to bring the first aid kit and I did.”

The petite woman rolled her eyes, as she put what remained of the leftovers onto the counter. She wiped her slightly damp hands on her thighs before she walked over to the living room. 

Thor had already flipped the kit open and stared at the contents curiously. “Are you certain this should suffice?”

“Well, we can’t take him to the hospital,” Jane stated, as she started taking out some gauze and sutures. She was no medic, but at least she knew something.

“Someone may recognize his unfortunate mug,” Darcy added, causing Loki to glare at her with disdain. She shifted awkwardly at his reaction and decided to help Jane sort all the necessary supplies out onto the coffee table.

“I do not need your Midgardian remedies. I will heal fine on my own accord,” Loki claimed vehemently. He did not need sympathy or any aid from someone who allied themselves with Thor. 

Jane stated at his bleeding bottom lip, “You at least need stitches.”

 _And a shower_ , Darcy thought to herself as she eyed all the dried blood and dirt on him. She wasn’t about to voice that too, considering the look he had given her when she chimed about his face. It had made her uncomfortable to draw his attention—even if it was for a fleeting moment.

Loki seemed to contemplate her words, as he touched his lip tenderly. He glanced over at Thor, “I could solve this issue just fine if I had my magic.” 

“That is not happening,” Thor declared strongly.

His lip was pretty bad and he could feel the wound had reopened once more. His constant onslaught to it had done a number to the supple flesh, but he could not help it. He had had nothing else to bite down on to suppress his pained cries from the venom. His tongue swept over it.

He was stubborn. “Then, I will heal on my own. I do not need the help of any mortals.”

Darcy didn’t know if she had a death wish or if she was tired of hearing his backhanded comments, but she decided to speak.

“Yeah, tell that to Erik. You definitely don’t need the help of any mortals,” she bit out angrily. His mightier-than-thou attitude was beginning to grind on her nerves, considering how easily he had jumped to mind-control a bunch of people to do his dirty work for him. Dr. Selvig has not been the same since.

Loki seemed taken aback by the attitude, as his green eyes once again looked directly at her. He narrowed his eyes, hastily crushing his surprise back. He was finding out quickly that this one had quite the mouth on her. His eyes shifted to her full lips for a moment, before he snapped his gaze back up to her bespectacled eyes. 

“I implore you to think twice before opening that mouth again,” he warned lowly. Something in his voice causing the hairs on the back of her neck to raise in warning. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest and she gulped, silently cursing herself for drawing his attention once again. She knew perfectly well what he was capable of doing, magic or not. 

“Loki!” Thor shouted as he rose to his feet, “Do not make me regret my decision to save you.”

The lean god sneered once more before lying back on the sofa in silence and momentary defeat. He would have to deal with his current circumstances. He honestly had no desire to return to Asgard and have any more punishments inflicted on him. The All-Father will get what he deserves once he conjured up a plan.

On top of that, he was in the company of mortals who were quite uncomfortable with his presence. He had seen how stiff Jane’s movements were around him. She was trying to be hospitable and he knew, but she also feared him. The same could be said about the other, who was brave enough to speak but also quick enough to regret her words to him. She did not take his threats lightly. That bought him a silent sense of glee.

But then there was Thor, who continued to hold everything over his head just as he always has. He was the only thing preventing Loki from going off and doing things his own way. He certainly put a damper on any form of cheer.

He eyed the mortals coolly, before he relaxed and allowed them to do what they wished with him. If they wanted to treat his wounds, so be it. He’ll bear with it.

For now, he will be on his _best_ behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m planning on keeping these chapters to roughly around 2000-3000 characters. Obviously, I may deviate from that time to time depending on what is going on. As it stands, not much has happened aside from laying out some foundation. I’ll be doing more with this as the story progresses. I’m not sure when the next chapter will be coming up, since I balance school, work, and other things alongside writing on my free time.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think. I love critique. Comments and kudos are appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deleted this chapter and rewrote it. It hadn’t felt quite right before—it felt a bit out of character to me and it was getting in the way of me writing the next chapter. Hopefully this is better. I also tweaked some stuff from previous chapters, but nothing significant to change this one.
> 
>  _Set after the events of **Thor: The Dark World**.  Partially AU._  
> This is not beta’d. Any mistakes are my own.

* * *

It had only been five days, but Darcy was growing more and more anxious as the days ticked by. There had been no issues with Loki, but the possibility that he can change that with a snap of a finger was the frightening aspect.

She didn’t know if she preferred the homicidal psycho that had leveled major cities and small towns or the sulking and brooding injured god that currently occupied their living room couch. At this moment all she knew indefinitely was that he made her uneasy. And that there was no way of ignoring him when he lived on that sofa. He was present whether she liked it or not.

The least he could do was set something on fire to reestablish his true character. He was a villain and he should behave like one, but instead he was lolling about between sleeping and reading books he found lying about the place. He was under house arrest and confined to the main quarters of the house and forbidden to go outside or to anyone’s bedroom. Those were the ground rules laid out to him and he surprisingly did not object to any of the conditions.

But his placement in the apartment was far from ideal. There was no way to avoid him unless she decided to live in her bedroom for the rest of his stay here—which didn’t seem like a bad plan, but her pride would not allow such cowardice.

She only hoped he that he would leave soon. He was healing relatively well for someone who had been chained to a rock and tortured for weeks. She assumed it was all due to the fact that he wasn’t human.

Darcy sighed and carefully stepped out of her bedroom, bracing herself as she ventured to collect the handwritten notes Jane had asked her to type out and organize. She had asked her last night, but the young woman was too tired and nervous to step out of the comfort of her room. Binge watching shows on her laptop had seemed like the better of ideas at the time, but now she had to face reality.

It was time to put her game face on. She couldn’t allow Loki to see just how uncomfortable he made her. He may scare her, but hell if she was going to let that dictate her life. She was Darcy mother-fucking Lewis and no psychotic god was going to keep her from doing her job.

The brunette adjusted her clothes and squared her shoulders as she stepped out of her bedroom and made her way to the living room. There would be no way to avoid the God of Mischief unless he was taking a nap. But, as expected Loki was loitering about on the couch reading once more with his feet resting on the coffee table like he owned the joint. 

He looked a lot better than when he first arrived. It’s amazing what a shower and a fresh pair of clothes can do. While he had raised his nose in disdain at the clothes he was given, but he had no choice but to accept it. She was adamant to admit that he was actually quite handsome once he was cleaned up, but she wasn’t going to voice that out loud. His personality certainly ruined the visage anyway.

She shook her head. She was here for Jane’s notes and not to make her own personal notes on their unwanted guest. Darcy walked over to the kitchen counter, doing her best to ignore the elephant in the room.

_Fuck._

Jane’s notebook was not on the kitchen counter. But, of course, she knew exactly where it was now. Darcy cursed herself inwardly for not taking it last night when Thor had been around.

Her blue eyes shifted over to the lounging god. Loki had the scientist’s notebook in his possession and was reading it with feigned interest. It seemed his boredom began to stretch outside the living room; but considering he was restricted to the main rooms of the house it had only been a matter of time.

However, she wished he hadn’t done that. She really didn’t want to have to talk to him, but she was going to have to. She inwardly groaned and approached him cautiously. She only hoped that he would be civil about it, considering he actually has been behaving quite well for a criminal. She stood for a good minute in front of the coffee table, waiting to catch his attention.

Loki knew she was there, but played the part of indifferent. He flipped to the next page and continued reading. If she wanted to speak to him, she would need to do better than to stand there and expect him to actually care.

Darcy cleared her throat. He paused, raising his head at her.

“Yes?”

“I need that back,” Darcy stated flatly. There was no need to beat around the bush. She wasn’t going to make small talk with him. 

“This?” he asked, feigning innocence as he motioned to the notebook in his hand, “I’m surprised that Dr. Foster understands anything about the Convergence. Her theories surrounding it however are…” there was a pause, before he added, “ _lacking_.”

That wasn’t necessarily true. She understood it well enough for a Midgardian. He was actually impressed at her knowledge of it, but he was not going to voice that out loud. There was no need to praise a mortal and it was easy enough to rile up the one in front of him.

Darcy seemed to take the bait as her blue eyes flashed angrily. “You’re in no position to judge shit.”

It was one thing to insult her, but when someone insulted her friend she refused to stay quiet about it. These last few months together had sparked a friendship between the two and she was particularly close to Dr. Foster now. Jane was brilliant but always underestimated by the people around her.

“Oh? Please do enlighten me.” He cocked his head at her as he silently challenged her to explain herself to him. Normally that tone of voice would not go unchecked, but the boredom was getting to him. 

The intern took a deep breath, trying to will herself from saying something that would trigger the prince to violence. However, her mouth decided to speak before reason settled within her. “Your poor judgment is what got you into this current mess and your brother had to swoop in and save your ass.”

Loki hadn’t been bothered by her tone of voice a moment ago, but her current statement stirred something within him. He straightened up suddenly, placing his feet flat on the ground as he leaned forward on his knees. The notebook curled underneath his fingers with bottled anger.

Darcy took an instinctive step back. He sat like a coiled wire ready to spring up at her and she gulped as her eyes focused on the notebook he was crushing in his hand. Those notes were important to Jane and she wasn’t going to walk away without them. She refused to stand down. That notebook was her responsibility, as much as she wanted to scamper back to her room and hide. 

She swore he could smell her fear as his mouth twisted into a feral grin.

“Do not preach what you do not know. Your opinion doesn’t matter. You are nothing. No one would bat a lash at your demise.” 

His words stung, but he was not out to hurt her but to scare her. Those words had flown from his tongue so smoothly, but it had been a calculated statement. It was as if her insecurities had momentarily been bared to him and it scared her. She felt like her heart was about to leap up into her throat and choke her out.

She knew Loki was dangerous, but this was a whole different level. The threat had been an afterthought, but it had been something to chill her bones. His aim had been fear, but the other part of his statement had just been a strike at her self-esteem.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. She refused to show him how much those words had bothered her. It seemed like he was the type to get a thrill out of people’s reactions, whether it be scaring them or upsetting them. His words were always cruel with the intent of hurting the listener. Loki just seemed interesting in making everyone within his vicinity a victim of his cruelty.

He did it to Thor.

He did it to Jane.

And now he was doing it to her.

What the hell did Thor see in him that was worth salvaging? He unnerved everyone with his presence, even when he was mute. Loki was just a dark cloud that hovered over everyone it seemed.

Darcy just wanted to make herself scarce again. She hated him.

Loki suddenly relaxed and sighed. He wanted a challenge, but it was clear she had been easily affected by his words. His initial thoughts of her being an interesting target flew out the window. How boring. He tossed the notebook at her, suddenly weary of her presence. She was much more amusing when she was talking, albeit crass and somewhat irritable. He could hear that much, even though she avoided his presence as best as she could. Loki knew. 

While he didn’t really care to give her much of an acknowledgment, he noticed her nature in the presence of the astrophysicist and his adoptive brother. He may be forced to remain indoors and within certain rooms, but that didn’t stop him from hearing everything going on within the confines of the flat. The women would spend many hours together doing research on the roof—at least when they weren’t out and about town looking into oddities being reported on the news and leaving behind his annoying brother to keep him company. 

However, when they remained at home it was easy for him to hear everything. It was the only thing he could do in his imprisonment. He had no magic to entertain him, but instead had to rely on the mortals and devices around him to quell his boredom.

He had picked up on things. For instance, the way Jane spoke to him and tolerated him. She pitied him, which angered him enough to want to unnerve her at every given opportunity. He didn’t want her pity, but if he pushed enough would she actually do anything about it? He was surprised she had yet to slap him again. The astrophysicist had become a meek little thing compared to the hellcat that had attacked him back in Asgard.

Then there was the other one. She was just about the same height as the scientist, but their similarities ended there—compared to the petite older woman, this one was all curves. It was easy to miss that under the oversized and unflattering garments she chose to wear, but Loki could see the heavy and lush swells of a woman underneath them.

However, that was not the only thing he had noticed. He had also been quick to note that she had quite the mouth on her as well. While his hearing was impeccable, he needed not any skill to hear her presence whenever it was nearby. In the company of others, she was lively, loud, and crude.

What a contrast it was now to the mute woman standing in his presence. It was almost too easy to fluster her, but that was a skill of his. He had always been the perceptive one and he had been left with his tongue as an only weapon. Of course, he would use it to his advantage, albeit it being for the reason of amusement and intimidation. There was not much else to do when one was restricted of their magic.

Loki licked his lips, his tongue darting over the stitch there. He watched her azure eyes follow it. Even scared, she was still observing his actions. _Interesting_.

Perhaps, she was also the perceptive type. Why else would Jane keep her around?

However, that did not change the fact that she was just some lowly mortal that that served under another one. She labeled herself as an assistant, but he saw no confidence in her words. He knew she thought lowly of herself and that was ammunition he had been quick to use. Loki had seen the way his words had affected her. It was amazing how the right words can easily render someone mute.

He glanced once more at her, before leaning back and kicking up his feet to rest on the coffee table. Darcy’s eyes darted to them, noting how lax he had suddenly become once again. She realized, she had probably struck a nerve. His cruelty was all for defense.

But it didn’t matter. Darcy didn’t want to be in the same room with him anymore. She quickly picked the notebook off of the floor, hoping the contents were fine. Loki had almost destroyed the thing with his grip.

Against her better judgment, she peered back up at him. His attention was turned to the remote in his hand as he swiftly turned the television on and decided to ignore her completely. She didn’t know whether to be pissed or pleased with the fact he didn’t want to acknowledge her presence anymore.

_Whatever._

She had work to do. She quickly turned on her heel and resisted the urge to bolt back into her room. Instead, she lifted her nose up and stomped away from him, feigning annoyance with each step. Darcy refused to let him know just how much he had actually bothered her.

The sad thing was his words had affected her only because of truth behind it. She did not like having her insecurities thrown at her face, but somehow Loki had uncovered it and used it against her. It unsettled her.

But she was not going to let him do that to her again. This was not only for her own sake but for Jane’s as well. Darcy was getting sick of his antics—of his mind games. He had destroyed cities, killed many innocent people, but that would not deter her from standing up against a god with daddy issues. She knew two could play this game. She just needed to get a hold of herself.

Darcy was totally going to get her game face on tomorrow. He may be dangerous, but she could be too. He bought this on himself for being an asshole. She made sure to voice her displeasure of him and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her.

Back in the living room, Loki’s green eyes twinkled as the corner of his lip rose with a mischievous smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to those who are waiting eagerly for an update. Promise that the next chapter is being worked on. Hopefully it will be completed and posted soon.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Set after the events of **Thor: The Dark World**.  Partially AU._  
> This is not beta’d. Any mistakes are my own.

* * *

Darcy chewed on her lip as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She was nervous and it wasn’t because of a certain god of mischief this time—instead, it was a certain boy that she had been so viciously trying to avoid for more than a week now. Ian had finally returned and wanted to meet up with her for some coffee and she had been so quick to take up the offer to get away from the flat that it hadn’t registered to her the dilemma she just put herself into.

She sighed and curled her fingers around her warm beverage. It was cold, but it should be expected considering the season. The wet weather did nothing to help with the brittle conditions and only made things even more frigid. It was beginning to feel like a really cold winter and she didn’t like it.

Maybe she should take up that offer that Jane had made to her?

Thor was planning on leave for New York sometime soon—now that his little brother was doing much better. The thing was that Jane wanted to accompany them and she had asked Darcy to come along with her. Sure, she could just tag along with them enough to head back to the states; but she had no desire to head back home and deal with her parents and their opinions about her taking time off from school.

It was a delicate subject and the situation she has been put into for the last few days didn’t help ease any of the stress either. She didn’t want to tackle the problem yet either. She had other difficulties to deal with first.

“Darcy!” a familiar voice called out stirring her from her thoughts. She raised her head at the direction and was soon greeted by Ian, who quickly threw his arms around her in a hug. She stiffened momentarily, before wrapping one arm around him and patting his back.

“How was the family?” she asked weakly, trying to avoid the subject she truly wanted to talk about. The brunette didn’t want to poach that topic quite yet.

“They’re great,” he beamed as he directed her back inside the coffee shop, “You didn’t have to wait for me out here.”

But she had, mainly because she wanted to punish herself for being dumb enough to put herself in this situation. Why does she always let herself be strung along? She tended to push back her problems long enough until she had to deal with them.

And she had to deal with this situation now.

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss me,” she lied as she was directed to a nearby seat. The intern’s intern excused himself momentarily and disappeared to get something for himself, leaving Darcy to wallow in her thoughts.

She sighed and took her beanie off, before unbuttoning her jacket. Her fingers traced nervously over the lapel as she cast a glance over at Ian who was ordering his drink. Was she seriously going to do this? Here? She knew how nice he was and yet she felt nothing for him and that was the problem. She cursed herself.

Could she, though? The possibility seemed so farfetched, especially with how things were heading in her life. She wouldn’t be in London forever and she would have to go back to Culver in the near future. A fling would have been one thing, but Ian was definitely interested in something more long-term rather than one night.

And Darcy can never seem to fall for that kind of nice guy it seemed. The one you took home to your parents and introduced. Her history with men spoke volumes about her type and while Ian was a good-looking fellow, he did nothing for her now that she was safe and sound. When she had been on the brink of dying, she had been so quick to give him a kiss. It had been so stupid of her. How did her ovaries screw her over so much?

Not only that, but he certainly deserved better. She barely recalled his name until recently and still didn’t know much about him. Nor did she really care to find out. That was just how the cookie crumbled, but it didn’t mean that she didn’t feel somewhat bad about it.

She was yanking her scarf off when he came back with croissants and his drink. He handed her one of the treats as he slipped his coat off and sank into the seat across from her. He was beaming like a lovesick puppy and she squirmed uncomfortably as she picked at her croissant.

“Are you doing well? How’s Dr. Foster?”

Darcy tenderly ripped a piece off the pastry and popped it into her mouth. She decided she would at least share the recent news to an extent and hastily blurted out, “I’m fine. She’s a lot better. Thor’s back.”

Ian spluttered, spilling some of his tea onto his sweater.

She raised an eyebrow at his reaction and watched him dab at the wet stain. She supposed she should have waited until he had put his drink down before sharing that bit of information. “Yeah. He came back a few days ago.”

“Well, that’s good. Did he say why it took him so long?”

She hesitated, choosing to pop another piece of the pastry into her mouth. She chewed on it tentatively. Should she even mention Loki? Considering her own thoughts on the trickster, she’d hate to see his reaction to the news of him being back. People still recoiled with horror at the mention of the alien invasion and considering what had happened in Greenwich a few weeks ago; it was best to keep the fact that a villain was rooming with her.

“It’s a long story,” she decided to say instead. It was safer that way.

He frowned, a bit disappointed that she wasn’t as talkative as usual, but he didn’t press her on the matter.

Instead, he gave her a small smile. “Well, we can talk about it later. I want to catch up with you. I’ve really missed you.”

Darcy fidgeted nervously, as she pulled her hair to one side and glanced at him over her frames.

“Me too,” she lied, before she cast her eyes down at her coffee. In fact, she had been hoping that he would have decided to stay with his family and forget completely about her. She was just some dumb American chick anyway.

He reached over and took her hand in his, “There’s no need to be shy about it.”

Well, fuck me, she thought to herself. Of course, he would think that. He didn’t seem that well versed when it came to the opposite sex. It was what made it so easy for her to snatch him up and recruit him as her intern, to begin with. She had found it terribly endearing at the time. She probably could have had some kind of attraction to him under different circumstances, but what she had felt for him during the Convergence fizzled out by the end of it all.

She pulled her hand away. There was no use in beating around the bush. It was now or never. “We need to talk.”

His brows knit with confusion as he pulled his hand back, “Aren’t we doing that right now?”

“I mean about us,” she clarified, looking straight at him now. She straightened her shoulders and rested her forearms on the table, “Look, I’m just going to go ahead and say it. There can’t be an ‘us’.”

He blinked before hurt flashed across his face. “Oh. I…I thought you—”

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out, “I didn’t mean to give you any ideas.”

“You never said anything earlier,” he stated as his expression hardened, “But you certainly are making it clear right now that you hold no interest.”

She totally knew that she should have said something a lot sooner—before he had even left to go see his family, but dealing with problems directly was never her forte. His hurt was expected, considering she had pegged him as the sensitive guy from the get-go and she usually was right about that.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to be like this,” she mumbled again weakly, not sure what else to say to him as he began slipping his coat back on. Darcy hadn’t expected him to react so coldly, but it was to be somewhat expected. She felt like she had strung him along too far by allowing his affections to grow unchecked. There was never a moment where she had pushed him away so obviously for it to register to him that she did not want to date him.

However, she was never opposed to the idea of possibly sleeping with him but he was a proper boy who wanted to court a lady first and establish a relationship. Darcy could respect that, but that just meant he wasn’t the right one for her.

“I’m sorry too. I suppose now would be the best time to also say I quit,” he said as he buttoned up his coat. Darcy’s blue eyes looked back down onto the beanie on her lap. She had expected that too, but it stung nonetheless.

His expression softened a bit at her reaction. It wasn’t like they had a good working relationship either. She mostly dragged him around through shit so she wouldn’t be the only one having to deal with the craziness that followed. But, it was probably for the best to end it all now anyway.

Ian hesitated before he finally turned around. “Have a nice life, Darcy.”

She didn’t say anything to stop him and he only lingered for a few seconds—probably hoping she would swallow back her words and beg him to stay, but there was none of that. He scurried out of the small café when he realized she wouldn’t give him any of that. Darcy groaned. The situation wasn’t handled poorly, but it sure as hell left her feeling bad about hurting his feelings.

“Darcy Lewis, you suck,” she mumbled to herself as she let her head drop down onto the table.

* * *

Darcy returned back to the flat sometime later in the day. She had spent much of the afternoon just walking around and actually getting a chance to spend time for herself, considering a lot of her time had been spent running around looking for portals or just helping Jane “science”. It helped put her in a better funk, but she still felt like a pretty cruddy person after hurting her ex-intern. It couldn’t be helped.

And considering the whole ordeal that had happened earlier in the afternoon with him, she figured take-out would be the perfect conclusion for the day. Food always made things better.

She wasn’t all that surprised that Loki was the first person she saw as soon as she walked through the front door. He had been occupying the living room couch for days, only moving occasionally to stretch out his legs or gaze out of a window. But, here he was sitting on the couch with a scowl, flipping from channel to channel.

But then, where were Jane and Thor? Loki was never left home alone.

“Darcy, have you returned?” a male voice called out from down the hall. It was Thor, but that’s not what gave her pause. It was coming from Jane’s bedroom.

“Uh yeah, I’m back with dinner,” Darcy called back out as she finally put the bags down on the kitchen counter. She went to go take off her coat when she turned to see Loki carefully prodding through the contents of the bag and making a face. He had been really quick and silent about that and it would have been creepy if his expression didn’t make her want to punch him. Everything seemed to displease him.

She knew the foil containers and plastic lids probably turned him off. He had made such a fuss about ‘Midgardian’ clothes too. The trickster behaved like a spoiled brat, but she wasn’t about to point out the obvious out loud.

“Something smells good,” Thor chimed as he entered the living quarters. His hair was damp and it was evident that he had been in the shower a few minutes ago. However, her brows rose when Jane emerged shortly behind him with a towel around her shoulders. It was evident what the two had been up to shortly before she had shown up.

_Go Jane._

But she definitely understood why the god of mischief was more sour than usual.

She was surprised that Jane even dared with their unwelcomed guest a few feet away. And she was even more surprised that Loki didn’t take the opportunity to flee from his house arrest. She totally would have in his shoes.

Speaking of Loki, he had been very quick to step away from the contents as soon as the others had shown. His attention was turned to the window and he was staring out toward the veranda. His green eyes had glimpsed briefly over at the couple, but Jane had been quick to dodge the scrutiny by diving into the contents of the bag.

“Yeah, I picked up some Thai food,” Darcy claimed, eyes shifting back to Jane as she watched the older woman pull the containers out onto the counter. She didn’t need to tell her which one was hers, considering she had picked out Jane’s usual and favorite. She had also picked out a few extras knowing full well how large an Asgardian appetite was and considering they were rooming with two of them. It was easy to do that when you had someone else footing the bill.

“Come feast with us brother,” Thor urged as he took the dish Darcy handed to him. While Loki seemed grossed out by the look of the food, he would eat it nonetheless. His options were slim and he seemed keen on getting better.

Loki seemed to hesitate before he sauntered over to the counter. Darcy pushed his container towards him, not daring to make any physical contact with the miserable prince. He seemed to have picked up on that, his eyes flickering at her briefly before he grabbed his food.

While Thor always invited Loki to come eat with them, he usually wandered back into the living room and ate by himself. Everyone expected him to do so, but when he pulled the seat out next to Thor and sat down at the kitchen table time seemed to still. Jane and Thor had already begun eating but had paused briefly with the new company, while Darcy stood dumbly by the counter. Her blue eyes bore into the only remaining seat at the circular kitchen table.

Of course, it was next to the god of mischief.

She swore under her breath. Maybe this was karma. She had, after all, hurt the feelings of a really nice guy today—however having to sit next to a criminal was a bit much when it came to punishment, right?

After what had happened the other day ago with him, she would have preferred to not deal with him at all. She may have sworn war against him, but she had never voiced that out loud for anyone to hear. Nor had she followed up on that promise since, but then again she had other things on her mind for the last few hours. He hadn’t done much else to provoke her in the last two days she had made the claim either.

However, the night was still young and he was still under their roof and being a pain in everyone’s ass—whether he was vocal about it or not. His presence alone brought tension thick enough for a knife to cut through.

Darcy tried to avoid physical contact as much as she could while sitting next to the disgraced prince. She knew she was so completely in Jane’s space, but the scientist didn’t push her away knowing full well the discomfort she was in. Thor’s invitation wasn’t meant to bring any uneasiness, but it was hard to forget everything the trickster had done. He wasn’t exactly an innocent man.

It came to no surprise that the dinner ended up being a quiet one. Thor seemed urgent for conversation but didn’t know what to say. But, Jane and Darcy definitely didn’t know what to say either.

However, it didn’t matter much in the end. Loki finished his meal and had taken his other container to the living room as if he knew his presence was unwanted. Darcy thought he would have savored in the moment, but he seemed just as bothered about it as the others had been.

And Thor didn’t try to call him back, as Darcy shifted and gave Jane her space back. The intern glanced over at the quiet god of mischief. He had already begun eating his second helping. The dim lights did nothing to make the scene look any less woeful and Darcy felt a twinge of pity.

What the hell was wrong with her? This was the second time she actually felt sorry for the dude since she had met him. She was mildly disgusted about it, considering everything that had happened was all because of his doing. He had been the one to make some poor decisions and as a result had to deal with the consequences. She pushed her pity aside and turned her attention back to Jane and Thor.

“So, Ian quit,” she stated without going into any further detail about the reasoning. Jane knew and she had an inkling that Thor did too, even though she hadn’t shared anything about Ian to the god of thunder. Regardless, she was quick to move onto a different topic before questions were asked. “But we’re heading back to New York soon, right?”

Jane paused, letting the words register. “You’re coming with us?”

“Well, duh. You’re hopeless without me,” Darcy teased, hoping to fan out the lingering tension with a bit of lightheartedness.

“Splendid!” Thor chimed with happiness as he reached over and pulled the two of them into a one-arm hug from either side, “I am very glad to have you two accompany us.”

At the mention of “us”, Darcy peeked over at the trickster once more to see if he had heard the news. It was evident he had, considering he was staring right at them. But, his expression was unreadable. She didn’t know what to make of his reaction, but it made her uneasy considering he generally frowned about everything. But she didn’t linger on that, before turning back to her companions. They were certainly better company and she wanted to enjoy the rest of her dinner.

What she failed to notice was that the trickster’s expression remained glued on her a moment too long before he finally looked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I been sitting on this for over a month now and wasn’t sure why I had yet to post it, but here we go. I’m trying to define Darcy’s personality, considering a lot of her is left to interpretation. It makes it both fun and difficult to write. Also, Loki isn’t making lovey-dovey eyes at our intern—so what’s his memo? You’ll have to wait and see.


End file.
